Method for encapsulating hazardous wastes using a staged mold

ABSTRACT

A staged mold and method for stabilizing hazardous wastes for final disposal by molding an agglomerate of the hazardous wastes and encapsulating the agglomerate. Three stages are employed in the process. In the first stage, a first mold body is positioned on a first mold base, a mixture of the hazardous wastes and a thermosetting plastic is loaded into the mold, the mixture is mechanically compressed, heat is applied to cure the mixture to form a rigid agglomerate, and the first mold body is removed leaving the agglomerate sitting on the first mold base. In the second stage, a clamshell second mold body is positioned around the agglomerate and the first mold base, a powdered thermoplastic resin is poured on top of the agglomerate and in the gap between the sides of the agglomerate and the second mold body, the thermoplastic is compressed, heat is applied to melt the thermoplastic, and the plastic is cooled jacketing the agglomerate on the top and sides. In the third stage, the mold with the jacketed agglomerate is inverted, the first mold base is removed exposing the former bottom of the agglomerate, powdered thermoplastic is poured over the former bottom, the first mold base is replaced to compress the thermoplastic, heat is applied to melt the new thermoplastic and the top part of the jacket on the sides, the plastic is cooled jacketing the bottom and fusing with the jacketing on the sides to complete the seamless encapsulation of the agglomerate.

ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein was made in the performance of work undera DOE contract and the U.S. Government may have certain rights in theinvention.

This is a division of application serial no. 792,336, filed Oct. 29,1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,681.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to the hazardous waste molding art, andmore particularly, to a staged mold and method for molding a firstmaterial and then encapsulating the first material with a secondmaterial.

2. Background Art

A process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,632 for the stabilizationof solid wastes by molding. The solid waste material is mixed withthermosetting resin and is charged into a first mold where the materialis compressed and subjected to heat to form a rigid agglomerate. Theagglomerate is covered by powdered thermoplastic resin in a second moldand the powder is therein consolidated by heating and solidified bycooling to jacket the agglomerate on the top and sides. The jacketedagglomerate is then inverted in the mold. The untreated bottom of theagglomerate is covered with additional powdered thermoplastic resin thatis heated and solidified. During the heating and solidification of theresin on the bottom, the resin fuses with the sides to complete theencapsulation of the agglomerate. The purpose of the present inventionis to provide a commercially viable full scale production apparatus andmethod for practicing the process of the above described patent fortreating hazardous wastes for final disposal.

Other methods of stabilization of solid wastes by molding produce wasteagglomerates and then cover them by surface treatment including thespraying or dipping of the agglomerates in a suitable coating materialsuch as asphaltum or wrapping in a wire mesh as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 3,330,088. Alternatively, the agglomerated wastes may be wrapped ina vinyl sheet as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,185. The large scaleprocesses described in these two patents are suitable for the managementof general refuse but are unsuitable for achieving high performancemanagement of low energy radioactive wastes and industrial hazardouswastes. The art described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,632, in contrast,yields stabilized hazardous wastes that resist harsh environmentalstresses due to leaching, overburden, alternative wet and dryconditions, alternative freezing and thawing conditions, and mechanicalimpact.

Other methods of disposing of wastes include confining in plastic ormetal containers, mixing wastes and binder materials such as cements andresins together, and solidifying mixtures of wastes and binders incontainers. All of these methods have significant disadvantages. Bothplastic and metal containers have a high relative initial cost.Containers are subject to such problems as ineffective sealing andcorrosion which eventually allows leaching and seepage of the contents.Containment of wastes in cement or resin binders pose similar cost andleaching problems. Even the combination of confining waste and bindermixtures in containers does not assure effective waste stabilization dueto the shortcomings of the containers.

Therefore, currently available large scale waste handling techniques areexpensive and unsuitable for the management of hazardous wastes forfinal disposal because the potential exists for leaching and seepage ofthe wastes. Consequently, a need exists for improvements in the largescale management of hazardous wastes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a staged mold and method designed tosatisfy the aforementioned needs. In the first of three stages, a largevolume of the hazardous waste first moldable material is molded into arigid agglomerate. In the second stage, a thin layer of a protectivethermoplastic second material is molded on the agglomerate to jacket thesides and top. In the third stage, the jacketed agglomerate and mold areinverted and the second material is molded onto the former bottom andfused with the jacket on the sides to complete the seamlessencapsulation of the agglomerate. The relatively gentle handling of themolded product allowed by the equipment and method makes possible thelarge scale management of hazardous wastes. A large volume of hazardouswastes is encapsulated by a thin layer of the protective thermoplasticsecond material. The protective second material binds with the rigidagglomerate providing an encapsulated waste agglomerate that is highlyresistant to leaching and seepage.

In the first stage, a first mold body is combined with a first mold baseto provide a recepticle that is loaded with the first moldable material.A first mold top is pressed into the first mold body and onto the firstmoldable material to compress the first moldable material. Heat isapplied curing the first moldable material into a rigid agglomerate. Thefirst mold top and body are removed leaving the agglomerate sitting onthe first mold base. One of the first features of the present inventionis the use of the first mold base in all three stages of the moldingprocess. The use of the same mold base is particularly advantageous inthe case of hazardous wastes by enabling the minimization ofcontaminated equipment. The use of the same mold base and the changingof the mold bodies around the agglomerate and base without disturbingthe agglomerate also allows larger volumes of wastes to be processedwith safety than would be possible where the agglomerate has to be movedfrom one mold to another.

In the second stage, a second mold body is placed around the agglomerateand the first mold base. The second mold body provides a small gapbetween the sides of the agglomerate and the second mold body. Thesecond moldable material is loaded into the gap and over the top of theagglomerate and compressed by a second mold base. Heat is applied tomelt the second moldable material which is then cooled to jacket thesides and top of the agglomerate. One of the features of the preferredembodiment is a second mold body having the form of a clamshell that isopened to surround the rigid agglomerate sitting on the first mold baseat the start of the second stage and is also opened to be removed fromthe encapsulated agglomerate at the end of the third stage. Theclamshell design allows the agglomerate to be processed with the minimumof disturbance by moving around the agglomerate as the agglomerate sitson the mold base. In addition, the clamshell allows the second mold bodyto be pulled perpendicularly off the jacketed thermoplastic sides of theagglomerate. A thinner layer of the thermoplastic is therefore possiblethan would be possible with a traditional mold that is removed over anend of the agglomerate. Also no draft is required in the second moldbody when removal is perpendicular to the molded material allowing auniform thin layer of thermoplastic to be jacketed on the sides of theagglomerate.

In the third stage, the first and second mold bases, the second moldbody, and the jacketed agglomerate are inverted together and the firstmold base is removed to expose the former bottom of the agglomerate. Ameasured amount of the second moldable material is loaded onto theformer bottom of the agglomerate. The first mold base is returned to thesecond mold body to compress the second moldable material for molding.Heat is applied to melt the new second moldable material and the topportion of the side jacket. The second mold material is then cooled tojacket the former bottom and fuse with the side jacket to complete theseamless encapsulation of the agglomerate. The lack of a seam in thefinal jacket is a significant advantage of the present method byeliminating any weak point in the jacket. The first mold base is thenlifted and the second mold body removed leaving the encapsulatedagglomerate sitting on the second mold base.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a center sectional view of an empty first mold body on a firstmold base in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1 with a first moldablematerial loaded into the center;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 with a first mold topcompressing the first moldable material;

FIG. 4 is a center sectional view of a rigid first moldable materialagglomerate sitting on the first mold base;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 with a second mold bodypositioned around the first mold base;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5 with a second moldablematerial poured over the top and sides of the agglomerate;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 with a second mold base ontop under compression from a shaft;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 7 with the shaft removed andthe mold and partially jacketed agglomerate being inverted;

FIG. 9 is the sectional view of FIG. 7 inverted 180° with the first moldbase and shaft removed;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 with the second moldablematerial poured over the former bottom of the agglomerate and jacket;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 10 with the first mold basereplaced on the second mold body and under compression from the shaft;

FIG. 12 is a center sectional view of the encapsulated agglomeratesitting on the second mold base;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the stagedmold of the present invention with a portion of the frame cut away;

FIG. 14 is a right side elevational view of the preferred embodiment ofFIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a right side elevational view similar to FIG. 14 with themolding process at the step illustrated by FIG. 7; and

FIG. 16 is a right side elevational view similar to FIGS. 14 and 15 withthe molding process at the step illustrated by FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 through 12, there are illustrated centersectional views of all of the molds and moldable materials for molding afirst moldable material and then encapsulating the resulting agglomeratewith a second moldable material in accordance with the presentinvention. The figures are presented in sequence with FIG. 1illustrating the first step and FIG. 12 illustrating the last step.

The present invention may be utilized for the purpose of molding anymoldable material and then encapsulating the first moldable materialwith another moldable material. For the purposes of this description,the preferred materials described in U. S. Pat. No. 4,234,632 areutilized.

The first moldable material is preferably a mixture of a liquidthermosetting resin such as 1,2--polybutadiene, powdered high densitypolyethylene, and hazardous wastes. The wastes may be either particulateor mixed with a liquid in the form of a sludge. Examples of particulatewastes suitable for treatment in this process include those holdingheavy metal contaminants such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and radioactivematerials. After thorough blending, the resin treated particulate wastesmay be free flowing powders and are stable under atmospheric conditionsthus permitting the subsequent agglomeration to be scheduled as desired.An example of a sludge suitable for treatment is one holding PCBs.

During heating, polybutadiene undergoes thermosetting thereby creating arigid matrix for the wastes. Thermosetting is initiated by peroxidessuch as employed in the peroxide vulcanization of rubber. The1,2--configuration polybutadiene gives a high yield of chemicalcross-links in a fast chemical reaction. In the course of heating andreaction, the high density polyethylene blends within and is chemicallyincorporated into the polybutadiene. The resulting polymers have singlybonded carbon backbones which provide inherent resistance to degradationby oxidation, hydrolysis, radiation, and permeation by water. Once thethermosetting of the polybutadiene has occurred, reheating does notremelt the plastic.

The second moldable material used to encapsulate the rigid agglomerateis preferrably high density or linear low density powdered polyethylene.The mold employed provides a gap of approximately 1/4 inch to thesurface of the agglomerate that is filled with the powderedpolyethylene. Upon molding, the polyethylene forms a tough jacket thatis mechanically and chemically locked to the surface of the agglomerate.Polyethylene is a thermoplastic that melts on reheating. The remeltingof a portion of the plastic jacket is useful in the method of thepresent invention because it allows additional powdered polyethylene tobe added at a later stage of the encapsulation process to melt and fusewith the previously molded polyethylene to complete the seamlessencapsulation of the agglomerate.

FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate the first stage position in the moldingprocess which provides a means for molding the first moldable materialto create the rigid agglomerate. FIG. 1 is the first step in the processand shows a center sectional view of an empty first mold body 10combined with a first mold base 12. In the preferred embodiment, thefirst mold body 10 is cylindrical and the first mold base 12 iscircular. A step 14 in the bottom of the first mold body 10 providesvertical and horizontal registration of the first mold body 10 on thefirst mold base 12. The inner diameter of the first mold base 12represented by the arrow 16 determines the outer diameter of theagglomerate.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1 with a first moldablematerial such as a hazardous waste and binder mixture 18 described aboveloaded into the center. Depending upon the viscosity of the mixture 18,a peak 20 or voids might be formed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 with a first mold top 22positioned inside the first mold body 10 to apply pressure to compressthe mixture 18 and eliminate any peaks 20 or voids. A shaft 24 connectedto a piston provides a first compression means to force the first moldtop 22 down. Additional mixture 18 may be loaded into the first moldbody 10 by withdrawing the first mold top 22, adding additional mixture18, and replacing the top 22. When the amount of the mixture 18 issatisfactory, heat is applied causing the polybutadiene to themosetcreating a rigid agglomerate 26 of the mixture 18. Complete curingoccurs when the center of the mixture 18 reaches approximately 300° F.Cure times are dependent upon the proportion of the waste material, theproportion of polybutadiene, the shape of the mold, the heat of themold, and the bulk of the mixture 18. In the preferred embodiment, thevolume of the mixture 18 is approximately 50 gallons.

FIG. 4 is a center sectional view of the agglomerate 26 sitting on thefirst mold base 12 after removal of the first mold body 10 and the top22 shown in FIG. 3. Shrinkage of the agglomerate 26 away from the firstmold body 10 occurs as the agglomerate 26 cools facilitating the removalof the mold body 10.

FIGS. 5 through 7 illustrate the second stage position in the moldingprocess providing a means for jacketing the agglomerate 26 on the sidesand top. FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 with a second moldbody 28 combined with the first mold base 12. The second mold body 28 isalso cylindrical. The horizontal registration of the second mold body 28on the first mold base 12 is determined by the diameter of the firstmold base 12. The second mold body 28 creates a gap 32 of approximately1/4 inch between the sides 34 of the agglomerate 26 and the innersurface 36 of the second mold body 28 for molding a second moldablematerial such as powdered polyethylene around the sides 34.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5 with powdered polyethylene38 poured over the top 40 of the agglomerate 26 and into the gap 32 toload the first mold base 12 and the second mold body 28. The bottom 42of the agglomerate 26 remains sitting on the first mold base 12.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 with a second mold base 12'on top of the polyethylene 38. The second mold base 12' is identical tothe first mold base 12 allowing interchange. A second compression meansrepresented by a shaft 46 compresses the second mold base 12' onto thepolyethylene 38. The powdered polyethylene 38 is then heated to melt andconsolidate the polyethylene 38. The polyethylene 38 is cooled to form ajacket 48 on the sides 34 and the top 40 of the agglomerate 26.

FIGS. 8 through 12 illustrate the third stage position of the moldingprocess which provides a means for inverting the jacketed agglomerate 26and a means for molding the second moldable material on the formerbottom 42 to jacket the former bottom 42 of the agglomerate 26 andcomplete the seamless encapsulation of the agglomerate 26. FIG. 8 is asectional view similar to FIG. 7 with the shaft 46 removed and thejacketed agglomerate 26, second mold body 28, and first and second moldbases 12 and 12' being inverted as indicated by the arrows 50.

FIG. 9 is the sectional view of FIG. 7 inverted 180° with the first moldbase 12 and the shaft 46 removed exposing the unjacketed former bottom42 of the agglomerate 26.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 with a measured amount ofpowdered polyethylene 38' loaded over the former bottom 42 of theagglomerate 26 and the jacket 48 adjacent the former bottom 42sufficient to form a jacket 1/4 inch thick.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 10 with the first mold base12 replaced in the second mold body 28 and onto the new powderedpolyethylene 38'. The first mold base 12 is under compression from theshaft 46 to create sufficient pressure to mold the powdered polyethylene38'. The polyethylene 38, 38' adjacent the first mold base 12 is thenheated to melt and consolidate the new powdered polyethylene 38' addedat this step and melt the top portion of the polyethylene 38 of thejacket 48. When the polyethylene 38, 38' is cooled, the new polyethylene38' jackets the former bottom 42 and fuses with the polyethylene 38 onthe sides 34 to complete the seamless encapsulation of the agglomerate26. As noted above, the remelting of a portion of polyethylene jacket 48on the sides 34 is useful in the method of the present invention becauseit allows the former bottom 42 to be jacketed at this later stage andfuse with the previously molded jacket 48 on the sides 34 producing aseamless encapsulation of the agglomerate 26.

FIG. 12 is a center sectional view of the agglomerate 26 encapsulated bythe polyethylene 38 sitting on the second mold base 12' afterdisassembly and removal of the first mold base 12 and the second moldbody 28 of FIG. 11.

FIGS. 1 through 12 clearly illustrate that a large volume of wastemixture 18 may be molded into an agglomerate 26 and covered by a thinlayer of polyethylene 38 by relatively gentle handling. The polyethylene38 is mechanically and chemically locked to the surface of theagglomerate 26. The agglomerate 26 may then be subjected to relativelyrough handling without danger of the polyethylene 38 becoming puncturedor cut.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment, generallydesignated 60, of the staged mold of the present invention with aportion of the frame 62 cut away. All of the stages illustrated in theFIGS. 1 through 12 are performed in the staged mold 60 starting at theleft and moving to the right along the track 64. Multiple operations maytake place in the staged mold 60 as illustrated in FIG. 13. Trucks 66move along the track 64 propelled by a screw 67 to move the processbetween the stages as needed.

The first stage of the molding process includes the steps illustrate inFIGS. 1 through 4 and takes place under the first compression meansprovided by a piston 68. The circular first mold base 12 is positionedon the truck 66 and the cylindrical first mold body 10 is lowered by thepistons 70 and 72 from the top of the frame 62 to the first mold base12. The first mold top 22 is lowered by the shaft 24 from the piston 68into the first mold body 10 to complete the first stage configurationillustrated in FIG. 13. The process taking place is the curing of theagglomerate 26 as described in conjunction with FIG. 3. Heat is appliedby the heating bands 74. After the curing process is completed, thefirst mold body 10 and top 22 are drawn up by the pistons 68, 70, and 72leaving the agglomerate 26 sitting on the first mold base 12 asrepresented in FIG. 4.

The second stage of the molding process includes the steps illustratedin FIGS. 5 through 7 and takes place under the second compression meansprovided by a piston 76. As shown in FIG. 13, the second mold body 28 isopen and the agglomerate 26 has just entered the second stage of themolding process.

FIG. 14 is a right side elevational view of the staged mold 60 of thepreferred embodiment of FIG. 13 illustrating the same position. As shownin FIGS. 13 and 14, the second mold body 28 is a clamshell with left andright halves 78 and 78', respectively. The clamshell permits the secondmold body 28 to open and move around the agglomerate 26 prior to beingpositioned on the first mold base 12. The clamshell also permits thesecond mold body 28 to open at the completion of the encapsulationprocess and be removed from the agglomerate 26 without movement of theagglomerate 26 from the second mold base 12' as described in conjunctionwith FIG. 12. Another advantage of the clamshell is the ease of removingthe second mold body 28 from the thin layer of polyethylene 38illustrated in FIG. 12. The clamshell design allows the second mold body28 to be pulled off perpendicular to the polyethylene 38. Little or nomold wax or releasing agent is needed. The clamshell also eliminates theneed for draft in the second mold body 28 as would be needed in a onepiece mold where removal must occur over one end of the agglomerate 26.The elimination of draft in the second mold body 28 allows the jacket 48on the sides 34 of the agglomerate 26 to have a uniform thickness fromtop to bottom as shown in FIG. 7 thereby minimizing the plasticrequired.

The left and right halves 78 and 78' are identical and are operated inthe same manner. The left half 78 has a curved mold portion 80 mountedwith legs 82, 84, and 86 to a flat support plate 88. Another leg that isnot shown is located on the far corner of the plate 88. An axle that isalso not shown is positioned perpendicular to the middle of the flatsupport plate 88. The axle fits into a motor 90 mounted in the middle ofa flat foundation plate 92. As noted in conjunction with FIG. 8, theagglomerate 26, first and second mold bases 12 and 12', and second moldbody 28 are inverted during one of the steps in the encapsulationprocess. During the rotation step, the motor 90 rotates the axle torotate the entire mold assembly illustrated in FIG. 8.

The foundation plate 92 is coupled to a linear bearings 94 that allowsmovement of the left half 78 toward and away from the agglomerate 26 asindicated by the arrow 96. Movement of the left half 78 along the linearbearing 94 is controlled by a piston 98. The linear bearing 94 iscoupled to the frame 62 on the left end by a pivot 100 and to the flatfoundation plate 92 on the right end by a pivot 102. A block 104prohibits movement of the linear bearing 94 below the horizontal on thepivot 100 while permitting vertical rotation as illustrated below inconjunction with FIG. 16. Similarly, a pin 106 prohibits rotation of theleft mold half 78 about the pivot 102 when the linear bearing 94 isretracted as illustrated in FIG. 14. Removal of the pin 106 prior to theelevated rotation step illustrated in FIG. 16 permits the left mold half78 to rotate about the pivot 102 and be elevated by the piston 98. Thepiston 98 is held in position by the pivots 108 and 110 at the ends. Asnoted above, the right half 78' is identical to the left half 78 and isoperated in the same manner.

FIG. 15 is a right side elevational view similar to FIG. 14 with themolding process at the step illustrated by FIG. 7. The right and lefthalves 78 and 78' have been closed by the pistons 98 and 98' and thesecond mold base 12' has been lowered into the second mold body 28.After the steps have taken place that are described in conjunction withFIG. 7 above, the right and left halves 78 and 78' remain closed and thepiston 76 retracts the shaft 46 to lift the entire mold assembly off thetruck 66 in preparation for the inversion step illustration in FIG. 8.

FIG. 16 is a right side elevational view similar to FIGS. 14 and 15 withthe molding process at the step illustrated in FIG. 8 where the entiremold assembly is being rotated to initiate the steps at the third stageposition. Prior to being rotated, the entire mold assembly is lifted offthe truck 66 by the piston 76 as described above in conjunction withFIG. 15. The pistons 98 and 98' are then pressurized to hold the leftand right halves 78 and 78' above the truck 66 while the piston 76 isdetached and retracted from the second mold base 12' to permit theinversion to take place.

The third stage position of the molding process includes the stepsillustrated in FIGS. 9 through 12 and also takes place under the piston76 but inverted 180° from the second stage position. Once theencapsulation process is completed, the right and left halves 78 and 78'are retracted, the first mold base 12 in FIG. 11 is lifted, and thetruck 66 is moved to the right along the track 64 to the right end asillustrated in FIG. 13 leaving the encapsulated agglomerate 112 on thesecond mold base 12'.

In view of the above, it may be seen that a staged mold and method areprovided that permit the molding of a first material such as a mixtureof a hazardous waste and a thermosetting plastic binder into anagglomerate and the encapsulation of the agglomerate with a secondmaterial such as a thermoplastic. The nature of the equipment andprocess minimizes the exposure of the operator and the environment tothe waste materials being handled. In addition, the gentle handling ofthe molded products by the equipment and the process allow theencapsulation of a relatively large volume of hazardous waste by a thinjacket of thermoplastic. The resulting encapsulated hazardous wasteagglomerate is highly resistant to leaching and seepage of the hazardouswastes into the environment. Of course, the structure and method may bevariously implemented and variously used depending upon specificapplications. Accordingly, the scope hereof shall not be referenced tothe disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, shall be determined inaccordance with the claims as set forth below.

We claim:
 1. A method for molding a first moldable material into an agglomerate having a top, sides, and a bottom and encapsulating the agglomerate with a second moldable material, comprising the steps of:combining a first mold base and a first mold body; loading the first mold base and a first mold body with the first moldable material; compressing the first moldable material with a first mold top; heating the first moldable material to form the agglomerate; removing the first mold top and body from the top and sides of the agglomerate; leaving the agglomerate sitting on the first mold base; combining the first mold base with the agglomerate sitting thereon and a second mold body; loading the first mold base and second mold body with the second moldable material to cover the agglomerate on the sides and top; compressing the second moldable material with a second mold base; heating the second moldable material to jacket the agglomerate on the sides and top; inverting the first mold base, second mold body, second mold base, and jacketed agglomerate; removing the first mold base to expose the bottom of the agglomerate; loading the second moldable material on the bottom of the agglomerate and the second moldable material jacketing the sides of the agglomerate adjacent the bottom; compressing the second moldable material on the top of the bottom of the first mold base; heating the second moldable material adjacent the first mold base to jacket the bottom of the agglomerate and fuse with the second moldable material jacketing the sides of the agglomerate; and removing the first mold base and the second mold body leaving the encapsulated agglomerate on the second mold base.
 2. A method for molding a first moldable material into an agglomerate having a top, sides, and a bottom and encapsulating the agglomerate with a second moldable material as recited in claim 1 wherein combining the first mold base with the agglomerate sitting thereon and a second mold body includes providing a second mold body in the form of a clamshell, opening up the clamshell, moving the clamshell around the sides of the agglomerate, and closing the clamshell, and wherein removing the first mold base and the second mold body includes providing a second mold body in the form of a clamshell, opening up the clamshell, and moving the clamshell around the sides of the encapsulated agglomerate.
 3. A method for molding a first moldable material into an agglomerate having a top, sides, and a bottom and encapsulating the agglomerate with a second moldable material, comprising the steps of:molding the first moldable material with a first mold base at a first stage position to create the agglomerate; leaving the agglomerate sitting on the first mold base; jacketing the agglomerate on the sides and top with the second moldable material with the first mold base at a second stage position; inverting the first mold base and jacketed agglomerate at a third position; and jacketing the agglomerate on the bottom with the second moldable material to complete the encapsulation with the first mold base at the third stage position.
 4. A method for molding a first moldable material into an agglomerate and encapsulating the agglomerate with a second moldable material as recited in claim 3 and further comprising the step of providing a first mold base having a planar side for molding the first and second moldable materials.
 5. A method for molding a first moldable material into an agglomerate and encapsulating the agglomerate with a second moldable material as recited in claim 1 and further comprising the step of providing a first mold base having a planar side for molding the first and second moldable materials and a second mold base having a planar side for molding the second moldable material.
 6. A method for molding a first moldable material into an agglomerate and encapsulating the agglomerate with a second moldable material as recited in claim 5 wherein the providing of first and second mold bases includes providing identical first and second mold bases.
 7. A method for molding a first moldable material into an agglomerate and encapsulating the agglomerate with a second moldable material as recited in claim 1 and further comprising the step of providing identical first and second mold bases. 